B O O K REVIEWS Gillespie, John T. editor. Best Books for Senior High Readers. New Jersey: Bowker, 1991. 928p. $44.95, ISBN 0·8352·3021·X. Best Books for Senior High Readers is the third title in a trilogy. It recommends rna terials mainly for readers in grades 10- 12, although some works are for younger readers also. Over 10,000 titles are listed, each accompanied by a brief annotation which includes review citations for books published and re­ viewed from 1985-1990. There is a table of contents, arranged by subject in the order of appearance, followed by the major subjects listed alphabetically, with entry numbers as well as page numbers given. After the main body of the book there are three indexes, an Author Index, Title Index and an extensive SubjecV Grade Level Index. Best Books for Senior High Readers covers a multitude of subjects, from the mundane to the controversial. The editor states that this is to respond to changes within the juvenile population and to support new trends in education. Today's youth have many and diverse interests. It is a sad but realistic reflection of society that there are over twenty-five pages of entries under "Fiction: Contemporary Life and Problems." Science instruction is less text-book oriented, currently emphasising practical work. Ac­ cordingly, there are few entries under "Science," a mere sixty­ four compared to over four hundred for "Health and the Human Body." The latter covers many topics, but it is surprising to note that in the section on "Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking" there are only two entries on smoking, compared to over forty on drugs and twenty on alcohol. The section entitled "History and Geography" would have been better served by having two separate sections - it is somewhat confusing to find the entries interfiled. However, there are an impressive number of entries on the Holocaust of World War II and on the Vietnam War, indicating that interest in contemporary history is constant. Nothing seems to have been overlooked in the preparation of this mammoth bibliography. It is all there, from careers to paleontology to women's rights. The schools and libraries that have a generous budget are indeed fortunate. There is an abundance of material here and although it is classified for high school readers, much . of it appears to be of a higher level and should prove useful for the university student also. The book is well-laid out and the print is easy to read. It will be most useful to those who make the decisions on purchasing educational material for their institu­ tions. Carol R. Mitchell Concordia University Course Co-ordinator, Library Studies - Distance Education. McGivern, Rolland H. Educational and Psychological Tests in the Academic Library. Blnghampton, N.Y. : Haworth Press, 1990. $19.95, ISBN 0·86656·915·4. Standard tests are used extensively in education, psychol­ ogy and to a lesser extent in business. These tests have become an essential element of academic l ibrary collections. McGovern begins his resource for test collection development by present­ ing some brief and clear definitions of the terminology cur­ rently in use. He then goes on to outline the steps needed to develop a test �ollection which seem very rudimentary. If this book is directed to librarians, they would surely engage in a needs assessment before establishing any type of special col­ lection. While the author is not specific on the amount of money that should be allocated to such a collection, he offers guidelines. The importance of treating the test collection like any other special collection is stressed, i.e. it should be available in full bibliographic format which would make it easily accessible. The book contains an excellent list of basic resources for a test collection. This is followed by an extensive list of tests, complete with bibliographic and descriptive information con­ cerning the time required to complete the items in a test, the purpose of the tests and the targeted age group within the student body. 25 - For librarians contemplating the establishment of a test collection, McGivern's book should be most helpful. Rolland H. McGivern is highly qualified in this area with many years experience managing and cl'eveloping teat collections in univer­ sity libraries. This book has also been published as Behavioural andS oc ial Sciences Librarian , v0lume 8, numbers 3/4, 1990. Joan M. Coulter - -